Privacy Policy - Westminster Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Westminster Cleaner collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Westminster Cleaner customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, receive quotations, book appointments, or use our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Westminster Cleaner provides cleaning services to residential and commercial customers. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, prospects, suppliers, and other individuals connected with our business operations. This Privacy Policy sets out the key information about that processing.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The information we collect may include:

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as the type of cleaning service requested, booking details, access instructions, and property-specific requirements.
Billing and transaction information such as payment status, invoice records, and service history.
Communication records including enquiries, feedback, complaints, and correspondence.
Technical data such as basic website usage information if you interact with our online services, where applicable.
Preference information such as service preferences, frequency of visits, and special instructions.

We do not seek to collect more personal data than we need. Where we do collect data, it is limited to what is relevant for the purpose for which it is processed.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver cleaning services.
To communicate with customers about appointments, service changes, and related matters.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To manage customer accounts and service preferences.
To handle complaints, queries, and service improvements.
To maintain business records and meet legal and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, customers, staff, and property from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised information for internal reporting, service planning, and operational analysis. Anonymised data does not identify you and is not personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so under UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, the lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract – where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging and delivering cleaning services.
Legal obligation – where we must process data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, and record-keeping obligations.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. This may include managing customer relationships, improving services, and ensuring security.
Consent – where we rely on your consent for specific processing activities, such as certain forms of marketing or optional communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.

If we ever need to process special category data, we will only do so where a lawful condition applies and where additional safeguards are in place. We do not intend to collect such data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us run our business. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and only in accordance with our instructions. They may include:

IT and cloud service providers used to store files, manage communications, and support business systems.
Payment service providers used to process payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used to manage invoices, payments, and financial records.
Customer communication tools used for booking confirmations, updates, and service-related messages.
Professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers, or insurers where needed for business, legal, or insurance purposes.

We may also disclose personal data to law enforcement, regulators, courts, or other authorities where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Where processors are used, we take reasonable steps to ensure they provide appropriate safeguards for personal data, including contractual protections and security obligations.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and service records are generally kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and transaction records are typically retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Complaint, correspondence, and dispute records may be retained for longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it, or securely dispose of it in line with our retention practices.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful management of third-party providers. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so we continue to review and improve our safeguards where appropriate.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may not always apply in every situation, but we will consider each request carefully.

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them.

9. Marketing Preferences

Where we send marketing communications, we will do so only in accordance with applicable law. If you no longer wish to receive marketing messages, you can object to direct marketing at any time. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of previous processing. We will always respect your preferences where required by law.

10. International Transfers

In some cases, personal data may be processed by service providers outside the UK. If this happens, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms, where required.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a limited and lawful context, such as where a child’s details are included in service instructions relating to a household. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically so you remain informed about how your personal data is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Westminster Cleaner is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and in line with data protection principles. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and work with trusted processors under appropriate safeguards. We also respect your rights and aim to make it easy for customers in the area to understand how their information is handled.

Last reviewed: This Privacy Policy is intended to reflect current UK GDPR principles and our standard business practices.